40 charged after year-long investigation into illegal drugs in Spartanburg County

Thursday

Oct 10, 2013 at 9:28 PM

PACOLET – The Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office, Pacolet Police Department and U.S. Marshals teamed up Thursday to round up suspects charged in a drug operation called Operation Poison Ivy.

By Jenny Arnoldjennifer.arnold@shj.com

PACOLET – The Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office, Pacolet Police Department and U.S. Marshals teamed up Thursday to round up suspects charged in a drug operation called Operation Poison Ivy.During a news conference at the National Guard Armory in Pacolet, Sheriff Chuck Wright said 40 suspects in all have been charged in the year-long operation. They are facing a total of 90 charges related to a variety of illegal drugs, such as marijuana, crack cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and prescription drugs.“We're keeping our promise to the community by getting after people who abuse and sell illegal narcotics,” Wright said.Twenty-eight of the 40 suspects were arrested Thursday, and officers planned to work together during the next couple days to round up the rest.Wright said officers acted on tips from residents and used undercover drug buys to make the charges.“We're not going to tolerate this behavior here,” Wright said. “We need all the tips we can get from neighbors.”Pacolet Police Department Chief Robert Ivey said his department, with eight officers, is too small to stage such a large drug operation so he asked the sheriff's office for assistance. It's the first time in his six years as chief that the department has been part of large round-up like Operation Poison Ivy.“It's good for the citizens,” Ivey said. “Hopefully this is the answer to some of the tips and complaints. We listened and tried to do something about it. I thank the sheriff and his agency for conducting this operation. We couldn't have done it without them.”